Julian Hall's Festival Diary

Orlando Bloom set hearts a-flutter when he turned up to see his sister, Samantha Bloom, perform her one-woman show A Cloud In Trousers by a Girl in a Suit at the Underbelly venue. Orlando's dog, Sidi, who was also in attendance, was so overjoyed to see his master's sister that he rushed the stage at the end of the show. Even more drooling and adoration was reported on nearby Cowgate later, when Orlando stunned Festival punters by handing out flyers for his sister's show.

Much mirth and merriment at this year's if.comedy awards lunch. After the serious speeches were out of the way, water pistols were given out to the comedy glitterati so they could soak each other silly. A little later, the if.comedy publicist Anna Arthur caused a security incident at Edinburgh Airport as she tried to take the water pistol on board with her on a flight back to London. Oops.

Eleanor Tiernan, cousin of Perrier award-winning Tommy, was meant to be doing a double-bill stand-up show called Irish American at the Gilded Balloon with New Yorker John F O'Donnell. When Tiernan arrived at her flat in Edinburgh, however, O'Donnell's suitcase was there but he was not. The comic has been missing ever since. There has been a sighting of him in the hostelries of Edinburgh, and Tiernan's promoter has issued a desperate plea for O'Donnell to call time on his disappearance.

The Brazilian dance company Bale de Rua, performing at Assembly Hall, have an attractive cast of one female and 14 male dancers. Could this be behind the company's unusual requirements for their fill-in wardrobe dresser?"Please can they not be a gay man. Please can they be a lesbian?"